Pacific storm brings collisions, flooded roads

Emergency crews tend to the injured and the wreckage from a traffic accident on southbound Interstate 805 at El Cajon Boulevard, one of many accidents on rain-slicked roads around the county.
— John Gibbins

Emergency crews tend to the injured and the wreckage from a traffic accident on southbound Interstate 805 at El Cajon Boulevard, one of many accidents on rain-slicked roads around the county.
— John Gibbins

Emergency crews tend to the injured and the wreckage from a traffic accident on southbound Interstate 805 at El Cajon Boulevard, one of many accidents on rain-slicked roads around the county.
— John Gibbins

The storm dropped 1.56 inches of rain at Lindbergh Field, making it the wettest day there since 2.01 inches of rain fell on Dec. 21, 2010. It also surpassed the 1.53 inches of rain that normally falls during the entire month of December in San Diego.

“We knew the storm would be strong, but we thought it would strengthen farther south, over Mexico,” said Ivory Small, chief science officer for the National Weather Service in Rancho Bernardo. “But the system strengthened over Point Loma.”

Thursday’s rainfall also set a record for the most rain on a Dec. 13 in San Diego since 1902, when 0.85 of an inch was recorded.

Forecasters said skies will be partly cloudy Friday, and a few scattered showers are possible. Periodic showers also are possible Saturday and Sunday as smaller systems cycle through the region.

Daytime temperatures on Friday will be cool, in the low- to mid-60s along the coast and inland, and in the 40s in the mountains, where snow is expected in the morning.

The weather pattern is an unusual one, with the clouds coming up from the south. Many locations in the foothills did not receive as much rain as the coast on Thursday, but that should reverse when the pattern changes slightly and colder air hits the mountains Friday, the National Weather Service said.

One of the collisions that clogged the freeways Thursday morning left a San Diego Unified School District bus mechanic dead.

A bus, with no children on board, broke down about 7 a.m. on the right shoulder of southbound Interstate 805 at El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego. The mechanic, a 32-year-old Ramona resident, crawled into the engine compartment in the rear to make repairs, CHP Officer Scott Deschenes said.

A 41-year-old Chula Vista resident lost control of her Nissan Altima and rear-ended the bus, crushing the compartment and trapping the mechanic. It took firefighters 15 minutes to extricate him, Deschenes said. The mechanic later died at a hospital. His name was not released.

The sedan driver went to the hospital with complaints of pain.

A big-rig also jackknifed on north Interstate 805 at 47th Street about 5:45 a.m., causing major slowing behind it.

In Poway, the rain dislodged a 5-foot high boulder, sending it plunging several hundred feet down a hillside and through the garage at a Vian Road home, a fire official said. The boulder split open a propane gas line and garden chemical containers.